Pair after pair of piercing eyes kept scrutinizing the old man before them, their sharp gazes seeming intent on seeing right through him.
None of those present were fools. It was not that they could not produce a million spirit stones.
But they understood something else even more clearly: gathered together, that many spirit stones would constitute an unimaginably vast pool of resources.
Wealth could stir the heart. Once those resources were in someone else's hands, there was no guarantee that person would not harbor crooked intentions.
If this auction house had even the slightest ill intent, it could easily make off with an immense fortune. Those unfortunate enough to suffer the losses... would be everyone present.
Their questions came fiercely. Their clothing concealed their bodies and appearances, preventing anyone else from seeing the changes in their expressions.
Just as their voices fell silent, a mysterious Nascent Soul Cultivator radiating a cold, sinister aura spoke icily from the very center of the crowd.
"I have attended your auction house's auctions several times. Never before have I heard of a rule requiring a deposit."
The white-haired old man's gaze landed on the Nascent Soul Cultivator. His expression turned solemn, and he hurriedly said, "Please take no offense, Senior. This rule was only introduced this year."
"We had no choice but to do this."
"Over the past few centuries, the auction's reputation has grown increasingly prominent, drawing the attention of more and more fellow Daoists."
Before the white-haired old man could finish, a tall, burly cultivator in black shrugged and said, "Oh? Now that's truly strange. Don't places like auction houses depend on large crowds to fetch good prices?"
"Since when did a prominent reputation and greater attention become a bad thing?"
The black-robed cultivator's words immediately drew murmurs of agreement from